Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[6chick*start]

I have 2 Silkies sitting on 19 eggs in the nursery here...
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...071245_100001011649454_980617_144442160_n.jpg
The eggs are from a 4 day period with the first due to hatch tomorrow, Easter!
It is pouring rain now and probably tomorrow. They are well protected where they are but I won't be able to stand out there to observe anything, which I am dying to do.
Can I bring the dishpan in the house right now? They are very used to me as well as being handled.
I thought I would put them in their dishpan in a playpen and cover it with a sheet so they feel secure.
My real question is would this be too stressful for them? They are very calm girls.
I really really want to watch my first hatch!

 

[bobbieschicks]

I have 2 Silkies sitting on 19 eggs in the nursery here...
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...071245_100001011649454_980617_144442160_n.jpg
The eggs are from a 4 day period with the first due to hatch tomorrow, Easter!
It is pouring rain now and probably tomorrow. They are well protected where they are but I won't be able to stand out there to observe anything, which I am dying to do.
Can I bring the dishpan in the house right now? They are very used to me as well as being handled.
I thought I would put them in their dishpan in a playpen and cover it with a sheet so they feel secure.
My real question is would this be too stressful for them? They are very calm girls.
I really really want to watch my first hatch!

Personally I would leave them alone where they are as long as they are protected from the weather. There probably won't be much to see as most of the activity takes place under the broody. It was cold and rainy when Smokey hatched hers, I just peeked under her to see the babies. Also it can take several days for the hatch to be over, so you'll probably have one watching day? If not, find a good umbrella and visit her often.

 

[bobbieschicks]

That little booger Smokey is trying to go broody again! I caught her looking around where she laid her egg this morning and then she nestled herself down in the straw for a bit! Ugh! I just got an egg from her and now she wants to hatch again. She is such an enabler!

 

[Tripp16]

That little booger Smokey is trying to go broody again! I caught her looking around where she laid her egg this morning and then she nestled herself down in the straw for a bit! Ugh! I just got an egg from her and now she wants to hatch again. She is such an enabler!

You lucky thing you! Has she completely let her first babies go? Poor girl just wants to be a mom for the rest of her life!

If you ever need to find miss Smokey a home my coop doors (and nests

)are always open

No seriously I know its only going to be another 2 weeks and Gracie is going to let her kids out on the loose so I have been very nice to my Barred Rock who insists on sitting on the eggs screeching and putting the feathers around her eggs. She has 8 eggs and 3 golf balls! Ugh I wish she would hurry it up!

 

[Glasshen]

Broody Mama took great care of her two chicks, keeping them warm and cozy at night, finally even on the roost with the big girls. Well, the big girls decided if the roost was going to have bossy Mama and the little ones, they would go over and sleep (and poop) on the top surface of the nest boxes. Then, after all that protection, Mama just cut them loose. It was when they were five weeks old. Then the other big girls started chasing them and trying to peck them.

I got them their own little coop, which I have to wrap with windproof and waterproof stuff due to weather, and they have a fenced in area within the larger chicken run. The big girls were disappointed not to be able to bother them anymore, but they and I can breathe easier. I think that by the time they are full grown things will be fine. But I only have four adult girls and the two six week olds. So I got three more baby barred rocks, in the brooder in the basement.

Just to make it interesting, Kinky Freebird has been hanging around in everyone's favorite nest box, screeching at me and the other girls for several hours every day. Today I found feathers, so she has been plucking...and so far, there are only three eggs today. I wonder...maybe she could raise the little barred rocks. But maybe not, she hasn't sat for real, and might notice too short a hatching time...

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't know. I'm looking at my current flock and trying to decide what to do. Which of the new roosters will be rehomed and whether to keep any.
I'm not sure if the AM Smokey hatched is a pullet or roo, and I may not know for another 12+ weeks. It's looking like pullet for now so that's good. Of the other 2 10 week old EE/WL mixes, one is definitely a roo and the other possibly a pullet.
But I'm very disappointed my two Wellies are Roos so I may get some more wellie eggs and try again for pullets. If I do I will only get half a dozen so she's not sitting on too many. She did a great job last time. I miss her eggs when they aren't around. They're so pretty.
My experience with hatching silkies was I had 30+ shipped silkie eggs to hatch and ended up with only 3 chicks. My pullet Topsy and rooster Davy are still here. The other rooster died over Christmas vacation. They are very cute. My son wants more silkies. I would like to have a few. I got them to hatch out to be broodies. Of course that was before we found one was a rooster.

And before Smokey felt this was her lifes calling. lol. I am thinking about silkies but my folk free ranges and i am not sure how well they would do. I know I'd have to trim their feathers so they could see where they are going. I have 1 chick hatched so far. going to see if mama will let me take a picture. the other one is still working on it's shell. I love to hear of children interested in animals especially chickens is he in 4H?

 

[countrybuffs]

Finally a sunny day for Henny-Penny and the chicks.

 

[6chick*start]

Personally I would leave them alone where they are as long as they are protected from the weather. There probably won't be much to see as most of the activity takes place under the broody. It was cold and rainy when Smokey hatched hers, I just peeked under her to see the babies.
Also it can take several days for the hatch to be over, so you'll probably have one watching day? If not, find a good umbrella and visit her often.

I guess that's the answer(s) I thought I would get. Okay, I am leaving them alone.
One more question for now, do I change the momma's feed out to chick starter as soon as they start hatching?
Thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

Finally a sunny day for Henny-Penny and the chicks.

Looks like they are really enjoying themselves.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Quote:

I guess that's the answer(s) I thought I would get. Okay, I am leaving them alone.
One more question for now, do I change the momma's feed out to chick starter as soon as they start hatching?
Thanks

Chickstarter or Grow n start feeds.